Doctor Visits and Magical Intervention
by Serenitatis Cove
Summary: Snively thought retirement would be easier than this.


"Good morning, Angel moy." Snively nudged his wife. When she didn't respond, he rolled his eyes but collected her into his arms. He rolled onto his back but rolled forward when he lay on something hard, scowling. He reached around and felt around for the object. He picked it up and brought it into his view. He recognized it as a piece to the 'romantic' dice game Sam had given him the night before as a Valentine's Day gift. He smiled faintly, 'Sam sure knows how to keep things going, even after all these years.'

"Mmm, good morning, Lubov." Snively looked down to see Sam staring back at him. He gave her a kiss.

"I take it you slept well."

"I always tend to when I've got you to keep me company."

"How flattering."

"Naturally." Sam started to get up, but Snively stopped her. "Let me up. I've got to make breakfast."

"I'm not ready to get up yet. Besides, it's just the two of us here. Why hurry to fix a meal?" Snively said.

"Because I'll be hungry by the time I fix it," Sam replied as she got up. She headed toward the door. Snively arched an eyebrow.

"You're not going to get dressed?"

"You mind that I am naked?"

"Well, no, of course not. But what if one of the kids orbs in or something?"

"Relax. I do not see the point of getting dressed if it's just the two of us. Besides," she smirked, "I'd like to be prepared for another round."

"I…" Sam laughed as she left their bedroom. Snively remained in bed for another ten minutes, listening to the rain patter on the window panes. He thought it odd that it was raining in February but preferred rain over snow any day. Just when he was about to get up, he smelled bacon and toast wafting through the ventilation system.

/Open the door. I need in the room,/ Sam said. Snively, confused, got up and opened the bedroom door. Sam came in carrying a tray of food.

"Breakfast in bed. You're amazing." She set the tray down on a side table before she crawled back into bed. Snively shrugged and orbed into bed beside her.

"You know, I believe retiring was the best idea I've ever had," he said.

"HEY!"

"Well, aside from bonding with you of course. And having our children."

"Better." He ran his hand where her wings would have been and winced. He could still feel where the bone was. "Don't worry. I'll have them back some day."

'Maybe,' Snively thought. He changed the subject as they ate their meal. He was just grateful that his wife was allowed to live, especially now that they could be together at all times. 'I'm just glad for the peace.'

"Goodnight, Brussels!" Sam called out before heading off stage. Snively, as usual, was waiting for her there. He led her down the steps and backstage. He winced from the roaring cheers of fans.

/I don't know how you could ever get used to this,/ he said as he handed her her hearing aid. She shrugged as she put it in her ear and adjusted the volume.

/Just do./ The crew, thanks to Hope's leak about the Moon Kingdom years ago, knew all about the soul bond and what went with it. One of the stage hands tapped Snively on the shoulder.

"Does she need anything?"

"I'm right here! And yes, a bottle of water would be wonderful right now," Sam replied. Snively watched as Sam went to signing, thinking about when she said she was stepping down from an active music career.

'I should have known better.' Two and a half hours later, Sam and Snively got onto the tour bus. Sam flopped onto a couch with another bottle of water.

"I'm so tired," Sam whined. Snively sat across from her.

"We have a couple of days to rest before your next show. We can rent a hotel room and sleep," he replied.

"Sleep?" Sam questioned, a slow smile forming.

"Yes. Sleep. You look like you need it. Do you feel alright?"

"Just exhausted but fine otherwise." Sam noticed Snively's worried look. "What?"

"I heard you throwing up this morning."

"Honey, we had Thai food last night and we are in a moving bus. I was probably just carsick."

"I don't know." The door opened and the band filed in. Sam patted Snively's knee.

"Relax, love."

"If I relaxed any more, I'd be dead," Snively muttered.

Snively woke up with a start as the bus hit a bump. He felt around for Sam, frowning when he realized she wasn't in bed. /Sam?/

/Just a second./ Snively slid out of bed when he noticed the bus was stopped. He was just heading to the door when Sam came in from outside.

/Where were you?/

/Ummm, I needed a pit stop,/ Sam said sheepishly.

/Tell me you weren't sick./

/I wasn't. I was seriously in the bathroom. You want details?/

/You're lying. You smell awful./

/What do you expect? I'm on a tour bus with a bunch of men./ Sam took on a greenish tint. She gave a nervous laugh as she opened the door. /Excuse me./

/Sam…/ Sam tripped out of the bus and into bushes. Snively followed her out and winced when he heard her throwing up. "Sam, we need to get you to a doctor."

"No, I'm fine," Sam protested as she stood up.

"Samantha, that's two days in a row that you've thrown up. You need to see a doctor."

"Colin, I'm fine." Snively tried to form words, but found he couldn't. He was stunned she'd called him by his birth name. She stepped up to him and patted his shoulder. "Just relax, babe."

"Don't call me that," Snively lamely replied. Sam smiled before stepping back into the bus. Snively sighed but followed her inside. The bus shuddered before continuing on down the road.

"Hey Snively?" He looked up from his book. Sam sat across the room, flipping through a magazine. They'd been in their hotel room for a couple hours, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Yes?"

"You really think I'm sick?"

"It depends; do you think you are?"

"Snively." He liked the slightly teased exasperated tone she used. Sam finally closed her magazine. "Well, do you think I should at least check what might be wrong?"

"Yes. I told you that earlier." He watched in mild interest as she displayed several expressions.

"Fine. Let's go," she said as she got up.

"That was easy," Snively commented as he got up and followed her out of the hotel room.

"Keep your victory to yourself; we haven't established there's anything wrong with me," Sam teased. They went down into the lobby and waited for a cab. They arrived at a community hospital and checked in. They waited somewhat patiently. Sam got up and paced while Snively read _Time_. He was glad he forgot to take off his glasses earlier at the hotel.

"Samantha Kintobor?" Sam winced. This was it. Snively stood and followed his wife and the nurse. He wanted to stay with Sam to make sure he got all the correct information. He watched the nurse take Sam's pulse and everything else that went with a typical check-up. "The doctor will be with you in a few moments."

"Thank you," Snively replied politely. As soon as the door was shut, Sam got up off the examination table.

"If we leave now, we might be able to miss the doc."

"Sam. We're here. We're not leaving until we have an answer."

"Fine." Sam sat back down and pouted. There was a knock on the door followed by the doctor coming in. Snively didn't like how young he appeared; he would have preferred someone less attractive to practice on his wife.

"Oh wow. I sure didn't expect one of my patients to be famous," the doctor said. He looked at her file. "I take it that you're not residing here."

"Nope. Just on break from tour."

"Why don't you tell me what's been going on?"

"Well, in the past couple of mornings I've been throwing up," Sam explained. "And I've been a little more tired than usual, but that could be from touring. Plus, I've noticed I've gained a little extra weight, which could also be from touring."

"I see. Your report comes off as healthy. Your body could be adjusting poorly to touring now due to your age," the doctor spoke. Snively noticed Sam's offended expression.

"S-so try a different diet?" he asked. Sam shot him a dark look.

/You're insane if you think I'm giving up my evening wine./

/Get over it./

"Basically. It doesn't mean you can't indulge; it just means that you need to choose what you eat more carefully," the doctor said. The doctor looked over at Snively, particularly his face. "Have you ever considered plastic surgery?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your nose. It's very prominent. My cousin's a well known plastic surgeon in Germany."

"No thank you," Sam snapped. She got up. "Thank you for your time."

Snively hurried after Sam as she left the room, touching his nose. /Sam, wait up./

/I can't believe he said that to you! A doctor of all people!/

/Sam, it's fine. I used to get crap about my nose all the time,/ Snively said as they went outside.

/Still, you were king! They should have respect./ He grabbed her hand and held her close to him.

/They're not from the Moon Kingdom; they don't know any better./ They passed a minimart as they walked. Sam stopped walking. "Let's go back."

"To the hospital? I don't think so."

"No, to the minimart." Sam turned around and headed back to the minimart.

"What are you doing?" Snively asked as he tripped after her.

"I wanna try something."

"Like what?"

"You'll see." Sam walked around the minimart, stopping in the feminine product aisle. Snively hesitated a moment before proceeding down the aisle. He observed what Sam was looking at.

"Pregnancy tests? You're looking at pregnancy tests?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you…uh…past that, um, phase?" Snively asked weakly.

"I figured it'd give us something to pass time. Besides, we both know I can't get pregnant. It was practically impossible having Trista. Why would my body make it easy for me?"

"B-but we're wasting money on this," Snively pointed out. He knew it was pointless to argue with her since her mind was made up. She smiled before picking up a test and heading to check out.

Sam could barely contain her delight as they headed to their room. She reached into her purse for the room key, but couldn't find it. "Hey, do you have the room key."

"….No." The couple stood in front of the room in silence.

"Well crap."

"No kidding." Sam glanced around, looking for cameras.

/Can you orb us in?/ Snively grabbed Sam playfully and orbed into their bedroom.

"For what it's worth, I think you look unbelievable." She gave him a quick kiss.

"I'm gonna go see that we're not pregnant," Sam said cheerfully. Snively rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he replied as he sat on the bed. He flipped on the television as Sam plodded off to the bathroom. She was in there a couple of minutes before coming out and sitting beside him. "How long do you have to wait?"

"Five minutes." She set a timer on her phone before snuggling up into her husband. He held her closer and was almost asleep when she jumped up. "Time to find out what we don't have!"

"Sam, you're crazy for getting excited about this."

"You're just a killjoy." Sam disappeared back into the bathroom. Snively muted the TV and listened to what her reaction would be. "Um…Crap."

"What?" Snively got up. 'She's probably just playing a joke. It'd be something she'd do."

Sam came out of the bathroom, slightly pale. "Whoops?"

"Whoops? What do you mean whoops?" Snively asked. Sam held up the pregnancy stick.

"See for yourself." Snively looked at the stick. There was a little pink plus sign on one end. He looked up at her in confusion. "It means I'm pregnant."

"What? You? Now? Pregnant?...How?"

"Don't give me that. You very well know how!" Sam replied.

"But you're too…"

"-Old?" Sam supplied. He nodded. "We-well maybe it's just broken."

"Yeah. Yeah. You can't be pregnant. You're 41. You should be done with that," Snively said.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Sam said sarcastically. Snively shook his head.

"Let's just go to the palace tomorrow. We can settle this there. I'm sure it's just a faulty test," Snively replied.

"Well, on the bright side, if I am pregnant, at least our bedroom life will be amped up a little more," Sam smiled. She lounged onto the bed. He did the same.

"Who's to say it can't be amped up now?" Snively grinned. Sam laughed before giving him a kiss.

"No one. Game on, babe."

"Snively? Sam? I thought you were touring," Melinda said. Sam snorted at the remark. They'd decided to pay their doctor friends a visit.

"Melinda, do you or Leo have time to run a test on Sam?" Snively asked.

"What kind of test?" Snively averted his eyes. He really didn't want to be the one to say why they were once again present in the hospital wing. He was appreciative of the fact that they weren't charged hospital bills; he was certain if there was a bill, it'd be in the millions of dollars range by now.

"Oh for the love of—I need a pregnancy test," Sam replied. Melinda suffered a quick coughing fit in surprise.

"A what?"

"You heard me."

"Why?"

"We, er, Sam took a home pregnancy test as a weak attempt at humor. Unfortunately, she came up positive," Snively explained.

"How is it unfortunate?" Sam asked as Melinda began a blood test silently. Sam flinched; she loathed having her blood drawn.

"We have a four year old at home. We're getting too old to be raising kids," Snively replied.

"So what? We can still do it."

"Give it about an hour. Can you wait that long?" Melinda asked.

"I suppose," Sam replied flatly. An hour ticked by slowly. Snively patiently tried to settle his wife down as she paced. /You sure I'm not?/

/I just don't see how it's possible with your age./

/Thanks for making me feel old./

/I'm older than you./ Melinda knocked on the door before coming in.

"Are you ready for your results?" she queried.

"Yes! I'm dying to know," Sam replied. Snively rolled his eyes. 'She can be so silly at times.'

"Well, I'm not sure what you two were hoping for, but your test came up negative," Melinda said slowly. The couple sat still for a moment.

/What were we hoping for?/ Sam asked. Snively kissed her temple.

/I'm not sure./

"Sam, the rest of the examination shows that you're in perfect health," Melinda spoke. She turned to Snively. "Would you like an exam to make sure you're not pregnant?"

"Har har. I think we all know I'm not," Snively replied, adding as much sarcasm as he could.

"Well, nonetheless, I think you should have an exam as well," Melinda smiled. Snively waved it off carelessly.

"I am well." Sam cleared her throat.

"I don't know. Maybe you should. Just as a 'just in case' thing," she said.

"Samantha, I'm fine. You know I'm fine. Let's go. It's getting close to dinnertime anyway." Snively turned and stalked out. Sam turned to Melinda.

"Sorry about that. He's not real big on going to the doctor."

"I understand, but keep an eye on him. He seems paler than usual." Sam stared at the closed door where her husband stormed through seconds ago.

"I will."

Weeks passed slowly. Sam wrapped up her tour and readjusted herself to her home schedule. Snively acted more sardonic than usual, but Sam assumed he was tired. Sam busied herself fixing homemade waffles with a mixed berry drink. She called up to him from the kitchen. She was often up before he was in order to exercise and cook breakfast, so she gave little thought to him staying in bed later. When he didn't come down, she shrugged. 'Probably just tired.'

When Snively still hadn't come down after Trista was fed and at preschool, Sam grew concerned. She padded up the stairs silently due to years of training. She went into the bedroom she shared with Snively and crossed the room. She opened the curtains to their canopy bed. Snively was still sleeping. Sam listened carefully, hearing a slight wheeze when he breathed. She frowned; she hadn't heard him do that since he moved into Knothole from Robotropolis.

"Snively? Babe?" she asked quietly as she sat beside him. He shifted and glanced up at her.

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Almost nine." Sam rested the back of her hand on his forehead; it felt warm. He started to get up but stopped. "Do you feel alright?"

"Honestly? I feel downright awful."

"For how long?"

"…awhile."

"Colin James! Why didn't you say anything?" Sam demanded. Snively winced.

"For this very reason. You're overreacting," Snively said. He coughed before settling back in bed. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to stay in bed."

"Yes. Yes, of course. Do you want anything?"

"A cold compress would be great." She kissed his forehead.

"Of course. Anything else?"

"No. Thank you, love." Sam smiled before leaving the room. As she prepared the compress, a gnawing feeling of dread ate at her thoughts.

"Is he still in bed?" Leo asked. Sam sat at her dining room table, a cup of coffee between her hands.

"Yes. He's been there for a couple days. I can't get him up for anything," Sam replied.

"Well, I'll go upstairs and try to figure out what's going on. If I can't find anything, I'll need to have him up to the palace to have further testing done."

"Of course." Leo got up and went upstairs without another word. Sam got up and began picking up the house, knowing her husband would be annoyed if it wasn't clean. Leo came down forty five minutes later. Sam looked up from dusting. "Well?"

"It looks like pneumonia, but I can't say for certain. Could you bring him up to the palace tomorrow morning so I can run some tests?" Leo spoke.

"Why not now?"

"He needs his rest." Leo orbed out, leaving Sam alone. There was a knock on the front door followed by Shadow entering in.

"Is Snively here?" the hedgehog asked. She nodded. Shadow sensed her unease and questioned about it.

"Snively's sick. He hasn't been sick since we bonded years ago. Centuries even." Sam paused for a moment. "I'm, uh, going to take some soup up if you want to come with me."

"Sure. Perhaps I could be of some help." Sam heated up a bowl of soup and grabbed a bottle of water before leading Shadow up to her bedroom. Snively wheezed quietly and trembled in his sleep. Sam gave Shadow the soup and water so she could stir her husband. "Hey, Shadow's here."

Snively looked up at the hedgehog before settling back into the pillows. "So he is."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

"You haven't eaten anything all day." Shadow watched silently as Sam felt his forehead. "You're burning up. How about some water?"

"I'm not thirsty."

"Lubov, you need to get something in your system."

"Why?"

"So you won't get dehydrated," Shadow spoke. Snively coughed before settling even deeper into the pillows.

"I don't even know why you're here. It's almost bedtime."

"Bedtime? Darling, it's broad daylight outside."

"Just leave me alone, Samantha." Shadow watched as a look of pain and confusion slowly appeared on Sam's face.

"O-okay. Let me know if you need anything." Sam got up and left the room promptly. Shadow stood, still holding the soup and water. He set them on Snively's bedside table before following Sam out. Shadow found Sam kneeled on the floor outside the bedroom, tears pouring from her eyes. He knelt down quickly.

"What's wrong? Are you injured?" he asked, scoping the hall out for attackers.

"Why won't he let me help him?" Sam asked.

"He's being stubborn. He'll get hungry soon. If not, you could force it down his throat. He won't like it, but at least he'll have eaten."

"But I don't want to force him. I can't. He's my mate!"

"Don't you want to protect him?"

"Of course I do!" Sam snapped. As Shadow helped Sam calm down, Snively listened in. He felt worse upsetting Sam than being ill.

/Sam?/ he asked. He could almost picture her looking up.

/Yes?/

/I'm hungry but I'm too weak to get up,/ he said. He hated that he was lying about being hungry, but if it made her feel better, he was happy.

A week crawled along. Snively tried to keep Sam busy by fetching him things. It helped, but he still felt her distress. He didn't feel any better at all. In addition to the fever and coughing, he'd begun vomiting. He'd hid it for awhile so his wife wouldn't be so anxious. She found out eventually, but he was relieved it took her longer than usual to figure it out. Sam didn't know it, but he knew there were others in the house aside from her and Trista. He just wasn't sure exactly who it was. Leo and Melinda often came by to check on him and try different medications. None worked.

/Is it alright if the kids come in?/ Sam asked.

/I look terrible, but no,/ Snively replied. The bedroom door opened and six bodies entered. He frowned. He was certain he'd only had three children. /Who's all here?/

/Me, Trista, Serenity and Caleb, and their mates./ That meant Parker was there. Snively groaned; that was the last person he wanted to see.

"Hey, Dad," Serenity said. She sat beside him. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," Snively replied. Trista bounded up to him and sat down on his legs. He feigned a small smile. She thrust papers into his face.

"Momma helped me make a book!" she said proudly.

"Oh? What about?"

"It's about when you took me to Legoland! I drawed all the pictures and Mommy writed most of the words. I writed some of the words!" Trista explained, motioning wildly with her hands.

"That's interesting. I'll read it as soon as I feel better, okay?" Snively said. He glanced over at Caleb and Spencer, who were standing back. "What's wrong with you two? I'm the one on his death bed."

"Snively! Stop it," Sam scolded lightly, her heart not into it.

"Well I am! I've read it in books. This stuff doesn't just go away, so I want Caleb and Spencer to tell me what on Mobius is going on right now." Caleb tried to form words several times, unable to find them.

"W-well, we wanted to wait until we were sure," Spencer began, wringing her hands nervously.

"You're pregnant," Snively said flatly. Spencer's eyes widened.

"How'd you know?" Caleb asked, ignoring his twin's triumphant look.

"You two look scared to death," his father replied, "and that was the only reason I could think why."

"You got Spencer pregnant and didn't tell me?!" Sam snapped. "You didn't even put a ring on her finger!"

"Looks like I didn't screw up this time!" Serenity spoke smugly. Her mate, Parker, rolled his eyes.

"I'm allowed one screw up, aren't I? Ren's screwed up enough for the both of us and probably Trista too," Caleb said. His sister gave him an indignant look.

"Enough," Snively said tiredly before he started coughing. He saw his wife startle and move toward him. He waved her off. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Sam replied quietly. Snively glanced down, finding Trista had fallen asleep. He rolled her onto the free side of the bed. Parker cleared his throat.

"Hey, why don't we let your dad rest?" he suggested. Spencer bolted from the room, Parker not far behind. Serenity and Caleb gave their father a hug before departing. Sam sat beside her husband, unsure what to do.

"So we're going to be grandparents," Snively finally said.

"Looks like it," Sam sighed. Snively reached for a tissue and coughed. Sam tried to ignore the tinge of red. "What are we going to do?"

Snively reached for his wife's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I don't know, sweetheart."

"Hi, Grammaw," Trista chirped as she colored. Reia stood behind her granddaughter to watch.

"How are you, dear?" SHE asked.

"Fine. But we have to be quiet. Momma's sleeping," the little girl replied. She pointed at the couch, where her mother lay, to emphasize her point.

"Sleeping?"

"Yup. Daddy's been really sick and Mommy's tired from taking care of him and me."

"I see. Where's your father?" Reia questioned.

"He's in his bed sleeping." Reia patted the little princess on the head before heading up to the second story. She hummed in disproval as she passed Sam. SHE pushed open the door to the master bedroom and entered.

"Samantha?"

"No. Your mother." Reia noticed her son trying to sit up. "Stay as you are. You are ill."

"Sam's worried. She's terrified I'll die," Snively said.

"You won't."

"And you know this how?"

"Do you remember when Samantha was severely ill? When Serenity was a little girl?"

"Yes. Sam and I had been split up for a couple of years and were just starting to rekindle things. Sydney brought her to my, er, hut. She said that Senshi illnesses were serious. Terminal even."

"Yes, yes. But Samantha survived, did she not?"

"Yes. Your point?"

"Samantha had the Silver Crystal. It was inactive, but it still protected her. You have the active half of the Silver Crystal. It's been staving off the illness," Reia explained. Snively looked up in surprise. He hadn't even considered the Silver Crystal.

"Do you think I'm ill because of the split crystal?"

"Yes, which is why Samantha will be joining you soon."

"What?"

"She was ill because her powers were coming back. You are ill because of the imbalance. She will be ill again because of gaining her powers back."

Snively sat up, alert. "You're giving Sam her powers back?"

"Do you wish be sick even longer?"

"No."

"Then yes."

"That's…that's great. Fantastic even!" Snively said after coughing. He groaned in misery. "When can you do this?"

"The next full moon." Snively nodded. A lot of things in his new society was based on the phases of the moon.

"She'll…she'll get her wings back, won't she?" he asked.

"Full moon, Colin," Reia said. SHE turned to leave.

"Will you send Sam up?"

"She's asleep."

"Asleep? Where's Trista?"

"Watching over your mate." Snively struggled as he tried to get up. His mother stopped him.

"I'll watch over Trista. We don't see each other much." Reia left the room, leaving Snively alone again. He slowly got up and stumbled out of the bedroom. He padded down the hall and descended the stairs carefully. His foot missed a step, causing him to tumble down the rest of the steps. Reia and Sam came running at the sound. Sam was at his side, cradling him in her arms, checking him over.

"What happened?" Sam inquired. Snively smiled sheepishly.

"I wanted to come downstairs. I'm tired of being cooped up in the bedroom." His wife pressed her forehead against his.

"You scare me like that again and I swear I will tie you down to that bed," she whispered. He kissed her cheek.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" he teased.

"Someone's feeling better," Sam said. Reia cleared her throat.

"I have some news I need to share with you."

"Oh?" Sam gave her husband an uneasy look.

/It's good news,/ he clarified. Sam put Trista down for her nap and prepared tea for the adults, mixing in cough syrup for her husband's. Reia explained everything to Sam. After SHE left, Sam sat back against the sofa, rubbing her temple. Snively watched her in curiosity. "Why aren't you bouncing off the walls? You're getting your powers back."

"So what? I'm only getting them back because you're sick. This is my fault," Sam replied bitterly. "You can't live without both pieces of the Silver Crystal active. SHE's just doing this because you're HER son."

"Samantha…" Snively sighed. He moved from the luxurious lounge chair to where his wife sat. He gingerly pulled her into his arms. She nestled up against him.

"If I hadn't pursued that dream, you wouldn't be in this mess now."

"Mess? Love, I have a family now. A roof over my head. A decent way of living. If it weren't for you, I would have been dead years ago. Neither of us could have predicted this. Just shut up and wait. You'll have your powers back in a matter of days and will be back to normal in a matter of weeks," Snively said.

"Weeks?"

"I imagine you'll have to go through everything I am now."

"Nooo," Sam whined. She felt her husband rub where her wings used to be. She wasn't sure why, but a lot of his affection was centered to those particular spots. "I'll just be happy that you'll be back to normal."

"It won't just be me, love."

Another week and a half trickled along. Snively noticed that while he was slowly beginning to recover, Sam seemed to be getting sick. He wondered if she would get as bad as last time. By the time the full moon peaked, Sam was at her worst. Snively sent Trista to stay with Elizabeth Brody so he could focus on Sam. He lay beside his wife as she lay in bed, fuming about the fact she was sick. Despite how awful she looked, he was certain she was glowing with power.

"How long has it been since you've been without magic?" Snively asked quietly. He'd lit the fireplace and had the mini lights wrapped around their bed lit up. His wife rested her head on his shoulder.

"Depends. A year on Mobian and Earth terms and a century at our kingdom."

"Well, tonight is when your magic is restored. We just don't know when exactly." Sam yawned.

"Wake me up when SHE gets here," she said before rolling over and going to sleep. Snively sat in bed and read to pass the time. When he felt a shift in the air pressure, he shook his wife. She woke with a start and trembled. Even after being assured and reassured, he still couldn't get her to feel safe around his mother.

"Are you ready?" Reia asked. Snively exchanged a glance with his wife.

/Are you?/ he questioned.

/Not really, but I want my magic back,/ Sam replied. She looked at Reia. "Let's get this over with."

"Alright." It was silent for a long moment as Reia let tendrils of magic between her and Sam. Snively watched silently, waiting. He breathed a sigh of relief until he heard Sam choking.

"S-stop! Stop it!" he ordered Reia. He moved Sam off the bed. "It's too much for her."

"Relax. This is normal."

"Normal? How is this normal?!" Snively clung onto his wife as she convulsed.

"Her body is adjusting to the magic. It's rather drastic," Reia commented. Snively glared at his mother.

"Drastic! She could die!"

"No, she won't."

"How do you know this?"

"Simply because Samantha is a survivor." Snively felt Sam still in his arms and glanced down. His wife smiled slightly at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Ask me again in a few days," Sam replied quietly. Her husband hugged her closer to him.

"Thank you, Mother," Snively said. Reia nodded.

"Don't abuse your power, Samantha. You have once and it was taken away. Do it again and you won't recover from it."

"Yes, Reia," Sam stammered. Snively helped his wife back into bed before settling in for the rest of the night. Within the next month, they barely remembered being ill. Sam was on her best behavior at all times, though she let Snively know exactly what she wanted to do or say. He would teasingly scold her and then occasionally agree with what she said. Most of all, he was happy to see his wife happy again.

/Sam?/ Snively asked. He waited patiently. Sam orbed into the room. She used magic at any chance she could think of. He smiled; he was pleased to see that it was an actual orb and not the 'appear from nowhere' thing she'd done when she worked with the Underworld.

"You called?" Sam smiled.

"Have you seen my glasses? I've seemed to misplace them." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Darling, you'd misplace your glasses if you thought you wouldn't have to wear them. Check under the bed. I think they fell under there last night," she replied. He gave her a strange look, as if asking why his glasses had fallen. "Would you like me to give you a demonstration?"

"Please." Sam grabbed onto her husband and orbed. They reappeared in their bed. Snively's eyebrow rose. "How do we always manage to end up in bed?"

"Ah, the age old question has returned."

"Indeed it has." His hand rested on her side as she reached under the bed. She sat up, holding his glasses.

"Told ya," Sam smirked. "I was smart and put my hearing aid on the side table."

Snively lay down in bed and collected his wife into his arms. She struggled against his grip. "Stop moving. I'm trying to nap."

"I don't like napping in our bed when it's the two of us."

"What's wrong with that?"

"The couch is cozier," she whispered on his lips.

"Point made." Sam orbed out of the bedroom, leaving her husband alone. Snively shook his head before doing the same. He collected his wife into his arms again and lay down on the couch. She snapped her fingers, making a throw blanket cover them. Within minutes, they were snuggled up together sleeping, ignoring the rain falling outside.


End file.
